The Australian Rugby Union on Tuesday announced that sports brand ASICS will sponsor Australian Rugby and be an official partner of the Qantas Wallabies starting in '14. The deal extends ASICS' existing partnership with Australian Rugby as official footwear supplier. Under the partnership, all Australian Rugby teams, including the Wallabies and Qantas men's and women's sevens, will wear ASICS apparel and footwear, with the ASICS logo appearing on jerseys. The ASICS logo will appear on jerseys for the first time in January, when the Qantas men's sevens will compete in Las Vegas in the HSBC Sevens World Series. New ASICS Wallabies apparel will be available in retail stores in May (ARU).

F1's major teams reportedly "oppose moves to appoint a single fuel supplier," according to MOTORSPORT. The new Concorde Agreement "paves the way for a single supplier of fuel in the future." An FIA media statement said FIA will be "in charge of conducting the tender process," with Bernie Ecclestone "entitled to run the commercial negotiations with potential suppliers." But according to Germany's Sport Bild on Wednesday, "the big teams are not happy about this development." That is because "they all have separate and lucrative deals in place with major oil corporations: Ferrari with Shell, Renault with Total, Mercedes with Petronas, McLaren with Mobil" (MOTORSPORT, 10/1).

Malaysia Youth & Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin "hopes that tax breaks and incentives will be made available to the private sector soon to encourage companies to sponsor local sporting events," according to Ashreena Pillai of THE STAR. Khairy stated that the "private sector has a crucial role to play in the development of sports in the country," and added that he has "written to the National Treasury to suggest incorporating tax breaks and incentives in the upcoming 2014 Budget for companies which support and sponsor sporting events, tournaments and even academies in the country." Khairy said, "I think, if they (National Treasury) can introduce a slew of incentives as far as taxation is concerned, that may well assist in roping in more companies to support local sports events" (THE STAR, 10/1).

Handball Bundesliga (HBL) clubs GWD Minden and TuS N-Lübbecke "have worked together on a campaign to announce the 61st derby between the clubs on Oct. 11." For the first time, the two clubs "have created a collaborative game poster." However, the highlight of the campaign is a video spot by ad agency TwoTypes, which "portrays the rivalry with some humor and underlines fair play" (MINDENER TAGBLATT, 9/30). ... Bundesliga club SC Freiburg "is congratulating the World Wildlife Fund in a special way on its 50th birthday." The club "will feature the WWF's panda logo on its jersey during Saturday's league game against Eintracht Frankfurt" (HANDELSBLATT, 9/30). ... Oriflame, one of Europe's leading cosmetic companies, announced on Friday that "it has extended its partnership with the Women's Tennis Association" until the end of '14. Under the new agreement, "Oriflame's support of women's tennis will expand to the Asia-Pacific region." The brand "has already helped the WTA host three tennis festivals" -- in Beijing, Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and Guangzhou -- and will continue to support the WTA's annual pre-Wimbledon party with beauty products (CHINA DAILY, 9/30). ... A-League club Central Coast Mariners announced a partnership with solar products supplier Westinghouse Solar. The company's logo will be positioned on the back of the club's playing shirts for the next two A-League campaigns (Football Australia). ... Dutch sports data provider Infostrada Sports and the U.S. Olympic Committee "have extended their partnership with an additional sports data agreement." During the four-year deal, the USOC will not only have continued access to Podium, an IS premier sport performance analytic tool, "but also have unlimited access to IS world leading sports database of Olympic and Paralympic sports" (XINHUA, 10/1). ... Polish PVC window manufacturer Oknoplast "has bolstered its position in the European football market by signing a two-year sponsorship deal with French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais." Under the terms of the deal, Oknoplast "will receive brand exposure on Lyon's playing shorts." The company "joins Lyon's major partner sponsorship tier" alongside Adidas, Hyundai, Veolia, Intermarche, Cegid Group, MDA and Renault Trucks (SOCCEREX, 10/1). ... The Singapore Table Tennis Association "renewed its sponsorship agreement" with 100PLUS. The deal is worth $800,000 "over the next three years" (STRAITS TIMES, 10/1). ... Lagardère Unlimited Scandinavia announced the acquisition of the Nordea Masters. Played in Sweden, the Nordea Masters is currently the only PGA European Tour event to be held in Scandinavia. The management of the Nordea Masters by Lagardère Unlimited Scandinavia was taken over from Björn Örås, owner of last year's host venue, Bro Hof Golf Club (Lagardère Unlimited).
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